World Teachers' Day story: ‘We can only break the poverty cycle through education’

For Rodney Naidoo, a teacher in the UNESCO Learning City of Durban, helping the most vulnerable students is more than a career, it’s a birthright.

When teacher Rodney Naidoo was little, his grandfather said, ‘Education is key for you. It is important to break the poverty cycle.’ His grandfather had migrated from India to Durban in eastern South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province to earn money for his family by working in the sugarcane fields; he never finished high school. Nevertheless, every month he would donate a part of his salary to the building of Natest Primary School– the school Naidoo is a teacher at today – to enable future young people to learn.

Access our multimedia story to learn more about Rodney's work as a teacher in the UNESCO learning city of Durban, South Africa